Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is a format for distributing a Web site's content beyond the confines of the site itself. While that may sound complicated, it's actually very easy to use, and can change the way you get news and information from the Internet.
Even if you've never used RSS, you may have seen it around. Most of the time, a site that contains an RSS feed will have an orange icon that looks like this: 
Every Web site uses RSS a little differently. At Advent, it's a way to incorporate the pastors' weekly sermons into more aspects of your life, by adding them to Web sites and software programs that you use for other purposes every day.
There are three main ways most people view RSS feeds:
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Web Browsers: A web browser is the program you use to access the Internet, and many have support for RSS built in. Unfortunately, one of the most widely used browsers, Internet Explorer 6, does not support RSS feeds (luckily, IE 6 users still have some options – read on).
If you want to use a browser to read RSS feeds, try using Firefox (Windows/Macintosh/Linux), Internet Explorer 7 (Windows), Opera (Windows/Macintosh), or Safari (Macintosh), all of which are free to download and use.
Using one of these browsers, you can click the "Subscribe" button to the right on this page to subscribe to the feed.
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Web Services: Companies such as Google, Yahoo and AOL, for example, let you add RSS feeds from multiple sources to one customizable homepage. Most of these solutions are free, but may require a one-time free registration to use the service.
If you're looking for the easiest way to get started, click one of the three Web Services buttons to the right (go ahead, Internet Explorer 6 users – this will work for you, too). You may be asked to sign up for the service, but after that, you'll be subscribed to Advent's sermon RSS feed, and will be able to add feeds from other sites as well.
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RSS Reader Programs: There are a number of free and paid "stand-alone" RSS Reader programs (sometimes called RSS Aggregators) available for Windows, Macintosh and Linux that can display your personalized content, all in one place.
To find RSS Reader software, search for "RSS reader" in your favorite search engine. Once you've found software you like and installed it, you can use the "Subscribe" button to the right on this page to subscribe to the feed.
